not the unusal birds

[timmy264]

hi guys

i've been lucky enough to be invited on a number of rough shoots with a local syndicate and i'd like to breed a few unusal birds for them for next season.i've got about 3/4 of an acre and i was looking for some advice. maybe thinking about a christmas turkey shoot and also having some unusual pheasants maybe reeves,lady amherst,golden etc.what do you think. which birds fly the best. i'm sure it wont be legal!nothing is these days!

[sako751sg]

I would try breeding Dodos but to keep the shooting of them sporting only allow the use of blackwidow catties,air rifles with open sights and nothing less than .308 to shoot them with.Now then,time for another Drambuie.

[mark@mbb]

I have bred guinea fowl for the last 5 years and given them to a couple of local shoots them seem to be bullet proof to breed i have white and a few

multicoloured you can buy the eggs on ebay very cheap and they warn the young poults when charlie is about

 

ATB Mark

[anser2]

Its against the law to release any non native birds into the wild ( Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981 )and that would cover all the birds you have listed.

Edited December 12, 2010 by anser2

[timmy264]

surely all pheasants are non native?

Edited December 12, 2010 by timmy264

[The Duncan]

surely all pheasants are non native?

touche :unsure:

[TJ91]

on a shoot i did my work experience on there is a very large turkey living in 1 of the woods, he has been there a couple seasons now

nobody points ther egun at him though, all guests leave him alone

1st time i saw him come over the line i thought it as a lancaster bomber, i did run for cover

 

but you arent legally allowed to release anything non native

[Tam]

I would try breeding Dodos but to keep the shooting of them sporting only allow the use of blackwidow catties,air rifles with open sights and nothing less than .308 to shoot them with.Now then,time for another Drambuie.

 

Melanistic or Frenck Melanistic Pheasants

ps, Dave - you will never guess fa hud a hip flask fu o Drambuie @ Cullen :blush:

[guest1957]

All sorts here: http://www.hy-fly.co.uk/pheasant.htm About as unusual as you will get within the law I suspect

[Dekers]

Its against the law to release any non native birds into the wild ( Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981 )and that would cover all the birds you have listed.

 

It isn't just birds, its all non native species as far as I'm aware, so just how come have we now introduced seasons for the likes of the CWD and protected them, and Muntjac, etc under the Deer Acts??

[rogh shooter]

white mutant :unsure: must have no self-confidence

[anser2]

Timmy pheasants and French partridges are exempt because while being non native they have been here for a very long time. And perhaps because there is a lot of industry behind them too. CWDeer have a season because they are globaly endangered species. There maybe more in England than China. Its still against the law to release them though. And i think I am right in saying there is no closed season for muntjac.

[al4x]

funnily enough a few local keepers were talking about this while we were shooting on saturday. They've all cleared out their released guinea fowl and various other breeds due to the legality issue.

[Cosd]

Probably just my naivity, but saw a lovely pheasant with blue and gold plumage hanging at the butchers the other day! Never seen one that colour before...

[scolopax]

Guinea fowl were always popular as they go barming with alarm calls when they see a fox, we have a handful in our wood but deffo not for shooting, more like pets if anything. In recent years a few places released wild turkeys and some also tried Reeves pheasants. Don't know much about Reeves but the turkeys, at least the ones I saw, really needed a hill to be launched off, on flat land they were strong fliers but flew vey low.

 

A keeper I know had a cock Lady Amherst's in the 5 acre wood next to his cottage, although he fed in there daily and heard it going up to roost most nights he only saw the pheasant a couple of times in three years and a couple more times when flushed on a shoot day, it would always fly back through the beaters at waist height and disappear back into the Rhodies. The pheasant was not there to be shot but had escaped from his collection of fowl behind the cottage, for such a brightly coloured bird it was seriously elusive.

 

There were a couple of populations of Lady Amherst's down south and also a few of Golden pheasant which were said to be self sustaining but I think there are only some Golden Pheasant left now.

Edited December 13, 2010 by scolopax

[sako751sg]

Melanistic or Frenck Melanistic Pheasants

ps, Dave - you will never guess fa hud a hip flask fu o Drambuie @ Cullen :blush:

 

Mmmmm,let me think now.Must have been one selfish alkie ******* becuase i didnt get offered any.

[Devon Fox]

We have sold lots of Reeves over the Years, We put them down on our shoot with a fine on them, also we have some lovely white pheasants down and some guinea fowl which are stunning birds!

 

You cant beat seeing a nice mature Reeves cock bird with a 3foot tail go zipping down the line of guns, guest just do not know what to do !!!!

 

Its nice to add a bit of variety to the shoot

Edited December 13, 2010 by Hot-Shot

[anser2]

I would keep that quiet Hot-shot about releasing the reeves pheasants as your shoot is breaking the law .

[Bleeh]

surely all pheasants are non native?

 

Technicly, yes.

 

But the Romans brought them ove (along with Rabbits, Nettles, and Fallow deer) so they are considered to of been around long enough to count as native in the eyes of the law.

 

This is for your bog-standard 'Pheasant', completely different breeds where brought over later on, and are not consuidered native, and there release is against the Countryside and wildlife act 1981.

 

The Standard 'Pheasant' is pretty much all sub-breeds of the 'Ring neck' (Common) Pheasant, this really dosn't include things like Reeves (etc).

 

But again, as far as my knowledge this has never been tested in court, and what I've just said is my opition on the law, rather than the courts, so by all means give it a go and see if you get in trouble or not and this is a bit of a grey area.

[Dekers]

Timmy pheasants and French partridges are exempt because while being non native they have been here for a very long time. And perhaps because there is a lot of industry behind them too. CWDeer have a season because they are globaly endangered species. There maybe more in England than China. Its still against the law to release them though. And i think I am right in saying there is no closed season for muntjac.

 

Correct, but they are still classed as deer and NOT vermin, and offered the protection/rules of the Deer Act. For a non indigenous species that causes as much damage as this little fellow I simply don't get it!

[Devon Fox]

We rear lots of ornamentals - If the odd few escape it cant be helped

[scolopax]

Correct, but they are still classed as deer and NOT vermin, and offered the protection/rules of the Deer Act. For a non indigenous species that causes as much damage as this little fellow I simply don't get it!

 

Seemples...its all about animal welfare. Minimum calibres, strict rules about the use of shotguns etc etc all to ensure humane culling of the deer.

[timmy264]

might try a few dozen reeves then. never was very good at making secure enclosures!!